Improvement in eobse hay-fobks



@ntrntstrs geirrt' @ffice Letters .Patent No. 79,512, dated fune 30, 1868.'

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

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T0 ALL WOM I T MAYCONCERN:`

Be it known that-I, GEOuGE H. STROGH, of Watertown,/in the Acounty of Jefferson, and State of New York, have invented a. new and improved Hay-Elevating Fork; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference beinghad tothe-accompanying drawings, making a part'of 'this specification, in Whichi Figure lis a perspective view of the fork, as it would appear when suspended by'a rope or chain, with its curved tines exposed.

Figurev 2 is a diametrical section through the fork, with its tines exposed. Figure 3 is asimilar view o't the same parts, showing the tines retracted,

Figures f1, 5, 6, and 7 are enlarged sectional views, in detail, showing more particularly the construction vof the sereralperts composingthe improved fork'.'

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.' vlhisinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements on that class of elevating-forks whichare designed for use in elevating hay, straw, and .other similar substances, into barns', upon stacks, and into wagons, and which fare constructed inthe form of pointed rods' or harpoons, with curved tines or spursso hppliied to them that when" their pointed ends are plunged into a massof hay, these spurs canbe exposed ,andfmade to serve as a means for supporting a large body of hay while being elevated, and when such body is elevated to a proper height, the load can be discharged by retructing the s aid tines or spurs.

The nature f my invcntion consists mainly in so constructing the tines or spurs, applying their. within recesses formed in the body ofthe fork, and connecting their heels or'inner ends to anactuatingrod, that when the said tines are `fully exposed for supporting a load of hay, they will be locked in place, andheld securely in auch position, so as to sustain the load upon the fork without subjecting the actuating-rod to undue upward pressure, as -will be hereinafter explained. l I

The" invention also consists in applyingisprings within the p'oint ofthe fork-rod, and in so constructing these springs, that when the' actuating-rod is released from its latch, they will operate to retract the tines, and nt the same time toforcenpward the actuating-rod, so as toreleuse the load of hay andallow it to eiear itself from the fork, as will be hereinafter explained.

The invention also consists in a novel construction of latching and Areleasing-devices for the actuating-rod,

and in a inode of protecting or guiding such devices, so that they shall not be liable to become casually releasedv while elevating n. load, as will be hereinafter described. v

'To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation. The body of' the fork consists 'of an open-handle-portion, A, a tubularstem, B, and n swelled portion, C, which latter terminates in .a point, D, as shown in the drawings. Thehandle A is constructed of the open curved form represented in figs. l, 2, and` 3, so that it can be readily grasped by 'the handles, and its upper end is constructed with an eye-portion, forthepurpose ofreeeiving'and having tied-to`it the' rope A", by'whioh the instrument is suspended. An opening, te, is--znsde through'the upper portionpt the handle A, with lugs projecting inwardly on euch 'side of it, for receiving a pulley, al, over which the tripping-rope a passes, which rope also pass `.of the handle, as shown in ii'gs. 2 and 3, oi-,if desired, directly through the openings a2, as in the case of passing it over a fixed pulley between the fork and the hand of the operator.

The tubular stem B is screwed into the tribu-ler neck-portion A, formed on the lowerpart of the handle, and it is also screwed into the upper contracted end of the hollow enlargement C, upon which the point D is formed. This tube may be made of any suitable length, according to the length requiredfonthe fork. It is adapted for receivingthrough it the actuating-rod F, which is constructed with a slotted T-head, E, upon its upper end, and

connected at its lower end to the tines G G', by togglejeints t t.

es down through an opening, a3, made through the lower portion .The enlarged pointed portion() is constructed with `recesses V, for receiving the working parts contained in it, and it is also constructed with a removable recessed section, C', for introducing said working parts into .their respective places, and also for obtaining access to them for repairs and other purposes. In figs. 1 and 7, this removable sect-ion or cap C is represented in its' place, and iniigs. 2, 3, and 5, the parts are represented with this section removed. Y

To the lower end ot' the actuating-rod F,.a foot-piece, F,`is secured, having flanges ff projectingfrom opposite edges and sides oi` it, which work in the recess V, and serve as guides for 4the lower end of said rod F. These foot-pieces also form aline of contact w-iththe tines when the same are exposed, and receive their upward pressure,that would otherwise be imparted tothe actuating-rod throughthe rivets of the toggle-joints. To this foot-piece two short pieces, t t, are pivoted by a pin, z', which crosses the axis of the rod F at right angles to the widest part of thc enlargement C, as show n in iigs. 2, 3, and 5.

To these pivoted pieces t t the tinesG G are pivoted by pins jj', thus connecting the tines to the actuatingrod by means of toggle-joints which will form a lock f or the tines when they are exposed,- as shown in fig. 2.,

Those parts of the tines which are represented as projecting from the opposite sides ot' the fork-stati' in figs; 1 and 2, are curved and pointed, and those parts of the tines which are always enclosed within the recess V are made segmental, or with their edges curved, so as to fit snugly against correspondingly curved shoulders, O, formed at the lower end'oi` the recess V, when the points of the tines4 are fully exposed and locked in place, as shown in iig. 2. One of the said curved shoulders, o, is formed upon the portion C, as shown in figs. 2, 3, and 5, and the other is formed en the inner side of .the cap C', as shown in fig. 7; and these shoulders are curved in opposite directions, so as to correspond to the different directions taken hythe tines in moving out and in.

I The shoulders terminate at the openings made for exposing the tines in lips v, and at their opposite ends iu abutments n. In the act of4 exposing the tines by depressing the actuating-rod F', the curved portions of the tines are directed outwardly by the lips o, until the shoulders, s s', on the tines are brought against saidA lips, when, by a further depression of the rod E, the segmental. portions of the tines will be brought home against the shoulders o, after which the joints t t will be fully extended, and their outer ends brought under the. shoulders u, as shown in iig. 2. In-these positions of the parts, the lips o become the fulcra of the tines, and the shoulders o u the points of resistance for sustaining the weight which is brought uponv the exposed portions of the tines. It will be seen that when the tines are fully exposed, they will be mainly -sustained at two points, the distance between which is nearly equal to the distance across the broadest part of the portion C; and it will also be seen that there will be very little upward pressure brought to actupon the rod F by the -Weight oi' the load upon the tines.

i When the rod F is released and pressed upward,as will be hereinafter explained, the curved form`of the recess 'u will guide the points of the tines inward, and allow them to be brought entirely within the said recess, as shown in figs. 3, 5, and 'l'.

In the centre ofthe point D, alongitudinal recess, n, is made, in which slides a block, 7c, having secured to its uer end a forked s rin The forks-hz ress a ainst their res ective tines G G', :it the shoulders s s asV PP P g P g P shown in iigs. 2.and 3. Within the recess n, two springs, l and m, are put, one of which, m, .is a strong spring for acting upward against' block 'k and springs h h', at the commencement of retracting the tines when they have the greatest resistance to overcome. The other spring, l, is a lcomparatively light spring, and is designed to operate in conjunction with the spring m, at the'commencement of retracting the tines, and alsoact alone upon said tines and its rod al'ter the spring m ceases 4to operate. The Atwo springs thus Vact together to retract the tines when the greatest rcsi'stanceis to he overcome, after which the lightest spring acts alone to fully retract the tines. By' thus employing` light and heavy springs, there will notl be so much force required to press the rod F down, and thereby expose the tines, as would be. i'ound necessary should a single strong spring be used. On the upper end of the actuating-rod F, :i notched T-head is fixed, which is curved on-top and bottom, as shown in the drawings, and which haspivoted to it, at b', ahoolied tripping-lever, b, to the longest arm ofnhiclr .the p ullfor tripping-rope a is fastened. Therhookedshort arm of this trip, b, 'works in a recess made into. the rod F', just under the head E, and over a nose, e', which -nose is adapted for receiving a spring-catch, c, when the rod F is forced down as far as it will go, as shown in iigs. 2, 4', and 6. The catch c is formed on a T-shaped shank, which is rounded and'titted into ajcorresponding recess made in the circumference of the socket-piece AA2 of the handle A, and it is held in this recess by means` of a spring, d, shown clearly in figs. 3, 4, and 6. The spring d allows the hooked end of the catch to yieldv and spring over the noseetan'dat the same time serves to keep the catch in place within its recess without any other fastening.

I have described the-point of the 'forkas beingprovided with a light amd strong spring, and while this construction has superior advantages over a single spring, still, as the result sought may be accomplished by a single spring, I do not wish to be confined tothe use of two springs:

I also havefshown the supporting-lips o Ao as being xed or immovable; but inasmuch as they `might be made .of separate piecesset into the fork, and .fastened at their-lower ends by pivots, so as to have their .upper ends yswine in and outward slightly,'so as to prevent bind between them and the shoulders of the tines, I do not wish to be conhned to iixed or permanen't'shoulders; although it the parts areaccurately-iitted to, one another, and

remain 'so during usd, the-fixed shoulders are preferahle. l Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The tines G G', constructed substantially as described, arranged to work in a recess, V, constructed as described, within the sheath or case constituting the-body of a pointedforkfand attached to the'central rod F by means of pivoted links t t', all/substantially asherein described.

2. Thelmanner of locking the shanks of the tines G- G between lips v v and shoulders u, substantially as described.

3. Eecting the retraction of the tines by means of a spring or springs applied within the pointed portion D of the fork, substantially as described.

4. The arrangement of the pivoted spring-catch c, nose tripping-latch b, and cross-head E, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

' GEO. '-H. STROUGH. Witnesses:

A. E. YORK,

NELSON BURDIGK. 

